Posts Tagged «HDDs»

Western Digital has just released the Black2 — 2.5-inch hard drive that combines a 1-terabyte hard disk drive and 120-gigabyte solid-state drive. Curiously, though, the WD Black-squared isn’t a hybrid drive — it’s two separate drives in a single, over-priced package, sharing the same SATA interface. WD seems to be using the phrase “dual drive” but “2-in-1″ and “combi-drive” are both pretty accurate. Due to this unique, SSD-riding-shotgun, non-hybrid setup, it’s not immediately clear how WD wants you to use the Black2 — nor how big the performance gains actually are. For $300, though, we have high expectations.

The PS4 ships with a reasonably-sized 500GB hard drive, but it’s quite lackluster in terms of speed. The drive only spins at 5400RPM, but it can be easily upgraded to a better drive without voiding your warranty. So, what happens when the default drive is replaced with a solid state drive or a hybrid drive? The real-world tests are in, and the results are actually quite surprising.

One of the joys of the PS3 was its easily upgradeable hard drive — and the PS4 is no different. By sliding off the PS4’s case and removing a single screw, you can easily slot in a replacement hard drive or SSD. The ability to upgrade to a larger hard drive in your PS4 will be very useful if you buy a lot of games, or if you opt to fully install games to reduce load times. If money’s no object, and you want your games to load really quickly, you can also replace your PS4’s standard hard drive with an SSD. To find out how, read on for our guide on replacing the PS4’s hard drive.

For more than 30 years, the realm of computing has been intrinsically linked to the humble hard drive. Given our exceedingly heavy reliance on hard drives, and their key role in the expansion of personal computing and cloud storage, it’s very, very weird that one piece of vital information still eludes us: How long does a hard drive last?

Western Digital’s HGST subsidiary has announced the commercial availability of the world’s first hermetically sealed, helium-filled hard drive, the Ultrastar He6 — a 6-terabyte monster that, along with being the first helium-filled drive, just happens to be the highest-capacity hard drive in the world.

Storage prices have fallen for spinning discs and held steady for SSDs, but solid state drive capacities have shot up in recent months. What’s the total market look like, and what should we expect for the next 5-6 months? We investigate.

If you lived through the ’70s or ’80s, you probably remember a time when technology was big. Case in point: The IBM hard drive pictured here, which weighs in at 38.5kg (85lbs) and stores a grand total of between 1 and 2 gigabytes.

When you think of increased storage capacity, you most likely don’t think of self-assembling polymers that only require heat in order to rearrange themselves. However, with the potential to increase HDD storage capacity fivefold, researchers at the University of Texas might make self-assembling polymers the norm.

Use of this site is governed by our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Copyright 1996-2015 Ziff Davis, LLC.PCMag Digital Group All Rights Reserved. ExtremeTech is a registered trademark of Ziff Davis, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Ziff Davis, LLC. is prohibited.